US10058826B2 - Automatic release of pressure in a home soda machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A home carbonation system includes a mechanical lock to lock a bottle within the carbonation system during carbonation. The system also includes a gradual releaser to controllably release pressure after the carbonation and to delay the unlocking of the bottle from the mechanical lock after the carbonation has ended.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/016,108, filed Jun. 24, 2014, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to carbonation machines generally and to pressure release in particular.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Soda machines for the carbonation of beverages are known in the art. Most such devices for home carbonation are designed for manual operation; typically comprising a manually operated gas release valve to release carbon dioxide (CO₂) into a bottle of water from an attached pressurized cylinder. Such machines typically also comprise one or more safety pressure release valves which are designed to vent if excess pressure builds up during the carbonization process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with objects, features, and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a home carbonation system; constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are alternative views of the home carbonation system ofFIG. 1, constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic illustrations of the use of a mechanical lock in the home carbonation system ofFIG. 1, constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic illustrations of the use of a damper with the home carbonation system ofFIG. 1, constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic illustrations of an alternative embodiment of a home carbonation system; constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a home carbonation system utilizing the combined features of the home carbonation systems ofFIGS. 1, 5A and 5B.

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

There is therefore provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a home carbonation system. The system includes a mechanical lock to lock a bottle within the carbonation system during carbonation and a gradual releaser to controllably release pressure the carbonation and to delay the unlocking of the bottle from the mechanical lock after the carbonation has ended.

Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system also includes a carbonating arm connected to the housing of the system via a spring and where the carbonating arm is lowerable during the carbonation, the carbonating arm having a cam surface; a normally open valve having a plunger pressable by the cam surface during carbonation to seal the valve and where the gradual releaser includes a damper to enable the spring to gradually raise the carbonating arm after the carbonation with a controlled velocity to gradually unpress the plunger and to gradually unseal the valve.

Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the damper is a viscose damper.

Still further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system also includes a bottle holder to hold the bottle during the carbonation and an axis around which the bottle holder rotates at an angle to receive the bottle for carbonation and to release the bottle after carbonation and where the mechanical lock includes a recessed area in which a protrusion of the bottle holder sits when the bottle is in an upright position and the carbonating arm is lowered and where the recessed area prevents the bottle holder from rotating around the axis when the carbonating arm is lowered.

Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system also includes an exhaust valve having an exhaust pin and where the exhaust pin extends from the exhaust valve when the exhaust valve is under pressure and where the exhaust pin engages with a recessed area of a secondary cam surface when extended to prevent the bottle holder rotating around the axis.

There is therefore provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an interlock system for a home carbonation machine. The system includes a bottle holder to hold a bottle during carbonation; an axis around which the bottle holder rotates at an angle to receive the bottle for the carbonation and to release the bottle after the carbonation; an exhaust valve having an exhaust pin and where the exhaust pin extends from the exhaust valve when the exhaust valve is under pressure; a cam surface having a recessed area and where the exhaust pin engage with the recessed area when the exhaust pin is extended and where the engaged exhaust pin prevents the bottle holder rotating around the axis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention.

Applicants have realized that when a soda bottle is released from a carbonation system too soon after carbonation, the bottle may be dangerously pushed away, via a projectile effect, from the carbonation system. The early release may also cause excess frothing from the bottle resulting in a loss of carbonated water from the bottle. Applicants have also realized that the time taken after carbonization for the bottle pressure to be released may be substantial for some users.

Applicants have further realized that these issues may be overcome by releasing pressure gradually after carbonation and allowing the user to release the resulting bottle of carbonated water only once it has been depressurized to atmospheric pressure.

Reference is now made toFIG. 1 which illustrates ahome carbonation system100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.Home carbonization system100 comprises agradual releaser10 and amechanical lock15.Gradual releaser10 comprises acarbonating arm40 and a normallyopen valve50. Normallyopen valve50 may comprise aplunger52.Carbonating arm40 may comprise acam surface70 and may be connected at one end to gas cylinder12 (via a pin8 (not shown)) and at the other end may have a slider20 (also not shown) attached to it.Slider20 may enable a user5 to perform the carbonation process by usingslider20 to lowercarbonating arm40 as described in more detail herein below.Carbonating arm40 may be connected to the housing of system100 (not shown) via atorsion spring60.Spring60 may push on carbonatingarm40 when pivoted and supported by the housing.Mechanical lock15 comprises arecessed area35 of carbonatingarm40 and aprotrusion25 of abottle holder80.FIG. 1 illustratessystem100 in a pre-carbonation state where normallyopen valve50 is open (piston52 is out) and carbonatingarm40 is in its most upright position.

It will be appreciated that the tension ofspring60 may be pre-set so that when user5 pushes slider20 (and carbonating arm40) downwards and then releases it and if there is no additional resistance,spring60, carbonatingarm40 andslider20 may automatically return to their original position.

It will also be appreciated that a bottle ofwater45 may be attached tobottle holder80 via a pronged clamp (not shown) initially at an angle as illustrated inFIGS. 2A and 2B to which reference is now made. When carbonatingarm40 is in its rest position,bottle holder80 may partially rotate around axis55 (FIG. 1) in a tilting likemovement allowing bottle45 to be added and removed at an angle. The pronged clamp85 (not shown) and normallyopen valve50 may be similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,920,860, incorporated herein by reference and assigned to the common assignee of the present invention. It will be further appreciated that oncebottle45 is attached tobottle holder80 and is held in an upright position, as is illustrated inFIG. 2B, user5 may manuallylower slider20 in order to start the carbonation process.

It will be appreciated that sincebottle holder80 may rotate freely aroundaxis55 when in a non-carbonating position, once carbonatingarm40 is lowered,protrusion25 may engage withrecessed area35 and thus may preventbottle holder80 from rotating freely aroundaxis55.

It will be appreciated that user5 may decide the level of carbonation he requires. It will be appreciated that whenslider20 is lowered, carbonatingarm40 is also lowered and may press against a carbonating pin8 (not shown). The force against pin8 may causegas cylinder12 to release CO₂intobottle45 via appropriate tubing (not shown) and via injector75 (as shown inFIGS. 2A and 2B) and as described in US publication 2013-0037969 A1. It will be appreciated that the longer slider20 (and carbonating arm40) are held down, the more CO₂may be added to bottle ofwater45.

The action of carbonatingarm40 lowering may also causecam surface70 to pressplunger52 inwards, thus sealingvalve50 and ensuring a sealed environment withinsystem100 during the carbonation process. It will be appreciated that the carbonation process may cause pressure to build up withinbottle45.

It will be further appreciated that after carbonation, the contents ofwater bottle45 may be under significant pressure. Therefore the immediate release ofwater bottle45 may create a “rocket effect” when it is removed frombottle holder80.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, once carbonatingarm40 is lowered usingslider20 as is illustrated inFIGS. 3A and 3B to which reference is now made,protrusion25 may be held in place by recessedarea35 thus creating a mechanical lock. It will be appreciated that the purpose ofmechanical lock15 is to preventbottle holder80 from being tilted in order to releasebottle45 until all excess gas has been released fromsystem100. Thus, if carbonatingarm40 does not rise,bottle45 may not be released frombottle holder80.

It will be further appreciated that the only way to release the mechanical lock and thus releasebottle45, is to raise carbonatingarm40 back to its non-carbonation state. It will be appreciated that manually raising carbonating arm40 (or allowing it to rise automatically via spring60), may movecam surface70 away fromplunger52 thus openingvalve50 and releasing all the excess gas fromsystem100. As discussed herein above, the time taken forsystem100 to depressurize, may be longer than the time taken to manually release the mechanical lock. Therefore if user5 removesbottle45 fromsystem100 before all the excess gas has been released, the dangerous “rocket effect” may occur. Reference is now made toFIGS. 4A and 4B which illustrate another view ofsystem100. It will be appreciated thatsystem100 may also comprise adamper120. andFIG. 4A illustratessystem100 with carbonatingarm40 returned to its pre-carbonation position andFIG. 4B illustratessystem100 with carbonatingarm40 in its depressed position In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,damper120 may be set to rotate overteeth130 so that once depressed and released,slider20 and carbonatingarm40 may rise in a controlled velocity.

It will be appreciated thatdamper120 may ensure the unified movement of carbonatingarm40 to the upper position. The controlled unified movement may movecam surface70 away fromplunger52, thus allowingvalve50 to be opened and therefore allowing pressure from the carbonating process insystem100 to be released in a controlled manner so that by thetime carbonating arm40 andslider20 are in their pre-carbonation position, all pressure has been released. It is only when carbonatingarm40 andslider20 are back in this position, thatmechanical lock15 may be released andbottle45 may be safely released fromsystem100.

It will be appreciated thatdamper120 may be a viscose damper and that its timing may be adjustable to work at different speeds.

As discussed herein above,damper120 may allow for a controlled rising of carbonatingarm40. Applicants have realized if for any reason the excess pressure inbottle45 is not sufficiently released due to some form of failure, once carbonatingarm40 has risen and the mechanical lock has been released, user5 may still removebottle45 and the dangerous “rocket effect” may occur as discussed herein above.

It will be appreciated that a typical home carbonation system comprises an exhaust valve to release excess pressure frombottle45 during the carbonation process and any excess pressure remaining inbottle45 after the carbonation process has ended.

Reference is now toFIGS. 5A and 5B which illustrate ahome carbonation system200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 5A illustratessystem200 at rest (before and after carbonation) when there is no pressure build up to be released, andbottle holder80 may freely rotate aroundaxis55 allowingbottle45 to be attached/removed (as described herein above) andFIG. 5B illustratessystem200 during carbonation when there is built up pressure insystem200 and the rotation ofbottle holder80 aroundaxis55 is inhibited and therefore bottle45 is held in a locked position as described in more detail herein below.

It will be appreciated thatsystem200 may contain all the features ofsystem100 and may also compriseexhaust valve210 which may further comprise anexhaust pin220. It will also be appreciated thatsystem200 may also comprise asecondary cam surface240 which may be attached to its housing. Whensystem200 is at rest (as is illustrated inFIG. 5A),exhaust pin220 may slightly protrude fromexhaust valve200 andbottle holder80 may freely rotate aroundaxis55 as described herein above. During carbonation, the excess buildup of pressure within exhaust valve210 (before it is released) may pushexhaust pin220 outwards.

It will also be appreciated thatexhaust valve210 may be attached to a carbonating head upper250 which may be part of the carbonating head assembly270 (not shown) ofsystem200. It will be further appreciated thatbottle holder80 andprotrusion25 may also be part of carbonating head270. Carbonating head270 may rotate aroundaxis55 as described herein above. Carbonating head270 may be similar to that described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,975,988 and 8,920,860 both incorporated herein by reference and assigned to the common assignee of the present invention.

Secondary cam surface240 may comprise a recessedarea230. Whenbottle45 is held in an upright position within bottle holder80 (as is illustrated inFIG. 5B) during carbonation,exhaust pin220 may be positioned over recessedarea230. Thus whenexhaust valve210 is under pressure andexhaust pin220 is extended, it may engage with recessedarea230.

It will be appreciated that whileexhaust pin220 is engaged with recessedarea230, carbonation head270 cannot move and as a result,bottle holder80 may be prevented from rotating aroundaxis55. Thus,bottle45 may remain in a locked position, thus preventing its removal frombottle holder80, until sufficient pressure has been released frombottle45.

Once the pressure has been released frombottle45 andexhaust valve210,exhaust pin220 may retreat back to its rest position, disengaging from recessedarea230 and allowingbottle holder80 to rotate around axis55 (as described herein above).

It will be appreciated that althoughsystem100 and200 may function independently, they may also both be implemented within the samehome carbonation system300 as is illustrated inFIG. 6 to which reference is now made. It will be appreciated that the gradual release of pressure frombottle45 via normally open valve50 (as described herein above) may also cause a decrease in pressure withinexhaust valve210, eventually causingexhaust pin220 to retract and to disengage from recessedarea230 as described herein above. Therefore, in a scenario due to some form of system failure when excess pressure remains withinbottle45 after carbonation anddamper120 continues to rotate slowly raising carbonatingarm40,exhaust pin220 may remain engaged withcam surface240, thus preventingbottle holder80 from rotating aroundaxis55 and thus preventingbottle45 from being released from its mechanical lock.

Thus, by gradually releasing the pressure build up in a home carbonation system, caused by pressurized CO₂released into the bottle used in the carbonation process, a bottle of freshly carbonated liquid may be removed safely and quickly from a home carbonation system.

While certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes, and equivalents will now occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.

Claims (4)

What is claimed is:

1. A home carbonation system, the home carbonation system comprising:

a carbonating arm connected to a housing of said home carbonation system such that lowering the arm causes carbonation, said carbonating arm having a cam surface;

a normally open valve having a plunger pressable by said cam surface during carbonation to seal said normally open valve;

a mechanical lock that is configured to lock a bottle in an upright position within said home carbonation system when the carbonating arm is lowered from a non-carbonation state; and

a gradual releaser comprising a damper and active after said carbonation has ended, the gradual releaser configured to cause the carbonating arm to be raised, opening said normally open valve, at a rate that is sufficiently gradual such that the carbonating arm is raised to the non-carbonation state to unlock said mechanical lock only after all pressure is released from said bottle.

2. The home carbonation system according toclaim 1 and wherein said damper is a viscose damper.

3. The home carbonation system according toclaim 1 and also comprising:

a bottle holder to hold said bottle during said carbonation; and

an axis around which said bottle holder rotates at an angle to receive said bottle for said carbonation and to release said bottle after said carbonation; and

wherein said mechanical lock comprises a recessed area in which a protrusion of said bottle holder sits when said bottle is in an upright position and wherein said recessed area prevents said bottle holder from rotating around said axis when said carbonating arm is lowered.

4. The home carbonation system according toclaim 3 and also comprising an exhaust valve having an exhaust pin and wherein said exhaust pin extends from said exhaust valve when said exhaust valve is under pressure and wherein said exhaust pin engages with a recessed area of a secondary cam surface when extended to prevent said bottle holder rotating around said axis.

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